Dimmer control for headlights



Feb. 22, 1927..y 1,618355 L.. P. ROGERS DIMMER CONTROL FOR HEADLIGHTS Fil'ed Jan. 15, 1926 I1.14151iTiins'rnfrss ,Patented Feb. 22j, 1927'.

Parent oFFicE.

y LoYD r. Roenes. or SOUTH sioux cir'f, NEBRASKA.

DIMMER CONTROL FOR HEADLVIGHTS.

Application led January 15, 1926. Serial No. 81,468.

v invention relates to an auxiliary control device 'for automobile headlight circuits, and has for its object to provide means whereby 'the headlights may be dimmed by pressure :fromk the foot or knee of the operatei' uponl a pedal.

`r. VAnotherobje'ct of my invention is to providea device which is of simple, durable i and inexpensive: construction.

.. :More specifically, is my object to prof f 'vide in 'combinatioii'with the usual head light .circuit an vauxiliary circuit embodied A in the' device 'which 'may' bereadily attached ,y `.and including a spring-urged cantilever to'tlierfzfootboards or body oi' a car, conven- 'ientl toithepedal extremity of thev operator,

yswitch, 'au resistance :coil vthrown into the vcircuit by release of. such pedal pressure, and

a shunt normally completing the auxiliary f l circuit across said coil, bu't'released from the I circuit hyped-al depression ot thel switch.A

- VlVith.theseand other objects in view, my inventionconsists in the construction, ar-

rfrangementiandcombination of the various f partsfo'f my device, .whereby theobjects contemplatedare attained, ashereinafter more in which:

jfully set forth, pointed out .inmy claim and illustrated in ther accompanying drawings,

' Fig'. 1 is afplanview of the attachiiien t, a 'ortionof the casing' being broken away to illustrate the interior of the device.

Y Fig. 2 a longitudinal sectional view,

' taken on the line 242 of v1'.

3 is a transverse sectional'view, taken n on the line 3;?) of Fig.v 2.

'- Fig. 4 isa diagram illustrating the connec'ti'on of'A thel auxiliary circuit embodied in Q cuit, and x f Figf is a' detailjsectioiial view, taken on *the line 5-5 of F ig. 3.

Theordinary automobile provides for dimming of its headlights by the useY of a -happens that the drivers hand is not free to e operate tliepswitcli, and sucha switch has been round to be so inconvenient that in a the'device with thev ordinary headlight cir- My invention embodies .the use of an auxiliary dimming attachment which may be operated by pressure from the foot of the driver to throw into the circuit a resistance coil, and for automatically releasing the saine from the circuit when the pressure of the foot is released from the pedal of the device. I

lt tui-ther contemplates a dimming device of compact construction which may be lo= cated either on the floorboards or the side of the' car in position where the foot or knee, respectively, may be used to operate the de-V vice. f y

ln the drawings I have shown a base, 10, of insulating material such as liber or the like, having openings, 11, to receive screws or the like, by means of which ,thedevic'e' may be 'fastened in position. Between the spring clips, l2, which are' secured to thev base, is received a metallic cover or casing,

13, having at one end a slot, 14.

A Yresistance coil, 15, having the end blocks, 16, of liber or the like, is secured to the base by means of metallic yokes, A and B, each ot which comprises an arm, 17, se-

cured, as at 1S, to the base, 10, and upwardly extending portion, 19, and a portion, 20, bent parallel to the base at a height suoli as to snugly receive the block, 16.

The free ends of the yokes, A and B, are provided with'openings, not shown, which receive studs, 21 and 22, secured in the blocks, 1G, and electrically connected with the respective ends oi' the coil, -15.Y The e yokes aie formed otspiino` material in order that -tlie free ends thereoi; may be raised to allow insertion and removal of the coil.

' Between the yoke, A, and the block, 16, is received a sliding adjustment member, 81, which has the slot, 32, ieceiving'the shank of the stud, 21, which, on that end ot' the coil, is squared, as shown in Fig. 5. Nuts, 35,k are threaded onto the studs, 21,.in order to secure a permanent electrical contact between tlie studs and the yokes, A and B. By loosening the nut, 33, which secures the `yoke A, the adjusting member, 31, may be slid longitudinally so as to vary the contact of the same with the coil, 15. (See Fig. 2.)

- tween which is pivoted a cantilever switch,

C. The switch, C, comprises a metallic bar, 25, having a depressed channel, 26, midway ot its ends, which receive a pedal rod, 27, supported by a bracket, 28. A cap, 29, is secured as by bolts, 30, to the bar, 25, in order to enclose the pedal, 27, and one of the bolts, 30 Y serves to connect a short wire, 34, to the switch. The wire is extended through the base'and to a binding post, 35, as shown in Fig. 1. Another wire, 36, is secured by the nut, 33, to the yoke, B, and is likewise eX- tended to a binding` post, 37.

The switch, C, is provided with spring contact members, 3S and 39, which are positioned to engage the terminals, 23 and 24, respectively, and a spring, 40, is disposed between the switch and the Vbase in order to urge the end of the switch carrying the contact, 39, against the terminal, 24. lVhen the switch is in this position, the contact, 38, is disengaged from the terminal, 23.

- The bar, 25, has an upwardlyand laterally directed portion, 41, to which is secured, by means ot a screw, 42, a vblock ot insulating material, 43. To the end ot the block, 43, is secured a threaded portion, 44, of a pedal, 45, which has a iiat shank portion, 46, received in the slot, 14.

The switch and pedal are so disposed that the pedal projects somewhat above the casing and closely adjacent thereto, so that upon pressure by the toot of the operator the casing will act as a stop to limit the motion. This arrangement is of consid-er able importance lor the reason that the pres- The slot, 14, prevent-s rotation of the pedal when the casing, 13, is in place. By removing the casing 'the pedal may also be removed.

In Fig. 4 I have shown portions ot the ordinary headlight circuit, including a battery, 41, grounded to the trame as at 42, and connected by means otv a wire, 43, to a switch, 44, the other side of which is connected by a wire, 45, to the headlights, one of which is shown at 46, and which are grounded as at 47.

Y In installing the device the ordinary practice is to remove the wire, 45, 'from its connection with the switch, 44, and to connect it to one binding post oit the device. The other binding post of the device is connected by means oi a suitable wir-e to the terminal ot' the switch from which the wire, 45, was removed. Thus the device is introduced in series, and when the ordinary hand switch is used to control the lights, the current will in all eases tlow through the cantilever switch, C, being shunted across the coil, 15,.by means of that portion of the switch extending between th-e wire, 34, and the contact terminal, 24, and the yoke, B. W'hen theswitch is depressed the shunt is broken and the current will How through the wire, 34, the other halt ot the switch, the

yoke, A, and the coil, 15. The increased resistance serves to dim the lights.

The advantage ot the device lies in its ease of manipulation.

Sonie changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of the parts ot my invention without departing Jfrom the real spirit and purpose of my invention, and it is my intention to cover by my claim any modiiied forms ot structure or use of mechanical equivalents which maybe reasonably included within its scope.

I claim as my invention:

A rheostat for automobile headlights eomv prising a casing having a base, a pair of clips secured to said base, a. resistance coil having its ends secured under said clips and having terminals connected therewith, a bar slidably mounted on one ot said terminals and having an end contacting` with the turns ot the coil tor shunting a portion of said turns and a control switch Ytor the clip, said control switch including a lever fulcrumed between said clips, spring urged .into contact with one ot the clips and adapted to be pedally depressed into contact with the other clip.

Signed this 29th day ot December, 1925, in Sioux City, in the county ot Woodbury and State of Iowa. i

LOYD P. ROGERS. 

